


Doc/Nate - domestic fluff

by jmcbks



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 18:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17431067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jmcbks/pseuds/jmcbks
Summary: What the title says, since I lack imagination.  Originally posted to LiveJournal in 2012.  Written for asimplechord, who wanted outside POV of Doc in med school.  Based on the characters in the miniseries only.  If you know the real people, please click back now.





	1. Chapter 1

Tim Bryan is quiet and professional. Or maybe taciturn is the word. He doesn’t say much but all his classmates have learned to listen when he speaks. The lecturers and professors seem to like him well enough. No one would call him a star…unless they saw his exam grades. But none of his classmates do. Tim’s older, too. Not old, he’s just lived a little more than most of his circle of friends. Well, not friends really, more colleagues and members of a study group that fell into place after the first few weeks of classes. His work ethic would put migrant farm workers to shame. And he’s got this way of looking at people that cuts right through their bullshit. The only tender spot in his otherwise impervious-seeming carapace is children in pain – when they walk through the peds ward, kids gravitate to him. His voice softens and his hands always have a gentle pat.

He’s always present in class, and puts in his time with the study group, in lab, in the library, but at the end of the day he disappears to wherever home is. He checks in at the semi-mandatory social events organized by the school, even, but he never has more than one beer. In fact, the beer is usually the measurement of the length of his stay. 

At one point, a skinny, cackling, tattooed stranger accosts Tim in cafeteria – apparently he came looking for him there, meaning he knows him well enough to know some part of his schedule or routine. Tim seems to know him, or at least tolerate his babble. The verbal diarrhea reveals that Tim was once a Navy corpsman who saw a fair amount of active duty in the Middle and Near East, which explains how in class he’d identified the internal damage done by an unfortunate demolition accident: shrapnel is shrapnel, whether it’s the result of an RCIED or a dumbass contractor who failed to properly remove materials and evacuate from a demo site. 

Obviously Tim’s got a life outside med school, or has had one in the past, but he doesn’t talk about it. He’ll answer direct questions briefly if he decides they aren’t too intrusive but never discloses anything more than necessary. It drives two of the members of the group crazy: Cass because she’s sure he’s straight and Ravi who hopes he’s not. Priya finds both of them to be eyeroll-worthy, because Tim is too fucking scary to be either. She’s seen his scowl and would not want to be on the receiving end of it and thinks they’re crazy to even speculate, although she does appreciate Tim’s devotion to academic pursuits.

**Tim Bryan out and about, sighting #1:**

Cass and Priya catch a glimpse of him at Mama’s in Canton. He’s in a booth with a guy who, no joke, looks like he’s about fourteen years old. His nephew maybe? Except he’s got a Mama-rita in front of him, so he can’t be jailbait. They move to see if they can join him (the wait is ridiculous), but two youngish women return to the table – is it a double date? It’s not clear, but Cass is pleased to find evidence that Tim isn’t utterly indifferent to the female sex.

They’re still waiting in the bar when the four vacate their booth, and Tim nods at them when he sees them as they wind their way toward the exit.

“You should’ve joined us,” he says in the library when they’ve met to study and discuss evidence-based treatment and the history of medical research.

“We didn’t want to interrupt you, it looked like a double date.”

“No, just colleagues,” Tim returns with a small smile.

**Sighting #2, Tim wears no rainbows:**

Ravi, Cass, and Priya stake out a corner in Mt. Vernon for Pride. Ravi goes hunting for sno-cones during a lull in the parade, then comes scrambling back without one, all out of breath and flustered, to grab both of them and drag them away from their lawn chairs. 

“We won’t be gone long, they’ll be fine. You gotta see this.”

*This* is Tim Bryan shirtless on the sidewalk at Pride. Which, okay, he’s not wearing anything to advertise his status and he’s not taking in the eye candy. But Pride. Also, who knew he was hiding those abs beneath his button down shirts?

He’s helping with the city government’s public information booth, which is just weird in light of his perspective on bureaucracy. Cass sees one of the women from Mama’s in the booth too, so ultimately his participation is not helpful in terms of placing him on the sexuality spectrum.

But Ravi’s encouraged.

**Sighting #3, Tim Bryan hates grocery shopping:**

Priya runs into Tim at the Whole Foods in Mount Washington. Well, really, she hears him first.

She’s trying to remember which type of flour her mother wanted (really, isn’t all purpose flour appropriate by its very nature?), and is entertained when she catches the edge of what sounds like a couple’s squabble in the next aisle over.

“Tim, christ, isn’t it enough that I bribed you with crepes before coming here? You look like you’re going through SERE again.”

“Just because you’ve weaseled my Nutella fetish out of me doesn’t mean I’m ever going to get over paying $4 for a dozen free-range, no hormone, hippy-happy-chicken-produced eggs. For that price, they should come covered in gold leaf.”

Wait, what? She knows that voice. Tim? That’s her Tim Bryan. Well, not hers, but a Tim she knows.

“For a man who’s been bribed with chocolate and promised a blowjob as soon as the perishables are stored, you’re still a grouchy asshole.”

“Well, Nate, we’d be home and I’d be blown by now if we’d gone to Eddie’s. Some crankiness is to be expected since you rated household chores and organic produce above putting out.” 

There’s a snicker and a sort of snort from the next aisle over, then the squeak of cart wheels signal movement of some sort, but Priya’s kind of frozen for a minute. Mystery solved, but she has got to catch a glimpse of this Nate for when she reports back to Ravi and Cass (poor Cass).

“Hey, Tim.” Priya manages to hurry into the same check-out lane as Tim. He’s arranging a collection of grocery-stuffed recyclable bags in the cart as her single bag of groceries is rung up. And he’s alone: Nate, whoever he is, had disappeared. They head out the door, chatting about the upcoming Epidemiology exam, just as a Subaru Outback pulls up outside. The backdoor pops open and the Mama’s jailbait hops out of the driver’s side, already talking.

“For a guy in a rush to get laid you’re awfully slow at-“ he breaks off when he realizes Tim’s not alone. 

With a grin at Nate’s foot-in-mouth behavior, Tim introduces them. “ Priya, this loudmouth is my partner, Nate. Nate, this is Priya, I’ve mentioned her from my study group. ” 

Nate looks a little dazed, but shakes her hand politely as Tim shifts their groceries to the back of the Outback. Up close, she sees that Jailbait Nate isn’t so young – he’s got laugh lines beginning at the corners of his eyes, and his arms and shoulders have a grown man’s development. He asks if she needs help loading her groceries, but she just lifts her lone paper bag then heads toward her car after telling Tim she’d see him on Monday. As she walks away, she hears “Earth to Nate, are you okay?”

“Partner? I’m your partner?”

“I’m too old to have a boyfriend and you’re no boy. Significant other and lover both sound pretentious. So, yeah, you’re my partner. Okay?”

“Yeah, you just, you’ve never introduced me.”

“My circle of friends here is mostly through you and they know. The guys know. And I hesitate to inflict…” 

Tim’s voice fades out as she inches toward her car, but she really can’t dawdle any longer without looking creepy and intrusive. As soon as she’s in, she turns to ogle: Nate’s leaning against the car, and Tim’s in front of him, leaning in, and there it is, the kiss. 

Where’s her phone? She’s going need proof: pics or it never happened.

She’s also going to have to go back into the store as soon as they’ve left, dammit. She didn’t get everything on her mother’s list in her hurry to get a glimpse of the mystery man.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Doc and Nate did when their lease was up. Prompted by asimplechord.

Baltimore isn't *that* large a city. And Tim and Nate are both reasonable men. Given a limited geographic area and a short list of specifications, it shouldn't take long to find a new home. Or that's what they thought when they first embarked upon The Househunt from Hell. Two bedrooms, a den/office, off-street parking (or just not bad parking) for one car, proximity to public transportation. Is that too much to ask? It's not like they are insisting on a gourmet kitchen and original fireplaces and his-and-his bathrooms. But it turns out that they're kind of like Goldilocks: even though they have The List, the house has to feel right and feeling right can't be quantified and added as a line item to tick off. Dammit.

They've been renting a place in Roland Park but the lawn care and home owners' association are getting to be too much. Window boxes are about all they have time or interest in -- if they want grass, they can go to a park or hang out at Nate's parents' place -- so suburbia is ruled out. And as much as they like the neighborhood, they want something closer to work -- UMd Hospital for Tim and the city government for Nate. But not too close: Tim's still on resident hours but is about to have a marginally better schedule as he shifts to attending physician, and Nate doesn't want it to be *that* easy for him to be called in on his not-on-call days. Likewise, Tim wants Nate to be not too close to city hall. 

Which disqualifies Mt. Vernon, which has nightlife and culture and some prime condo space. The space in the old church converted into condos in Federal Hill is gorgeous, but beyond their budget -- student loans and public servant, not exactly raking in the cash. The row house in Locust Point suits their budget but needs a little too much work: they are capable of doing the work, but probably would live in construction hell for a couple of years while their busy schedules permitted only sporadic work on the different projects. Canton and Fells Point are too spendy and have terrible parking; Hampden is quirky and fun and they love the Hon Fest, but don't really feel like the neighborhood is home. Charles Village and Butchers Hill are possibilities.

"I think Cindy is going to kill us and bury us in the back yard of one of her rural listings if we don't find something soon."

"What?" Tim looks up from the paper he's mangling. Nate can read a paper and then fold it back up almost into its original state; once Tim has flipped through the paper, it's never quite the same, no matter how careful he is to fold the pages neatly.

"I said, I think our real estate agent is about to fire us. We fail as customers. This neighborhood is too far, that condo is too small, this rowhouse is too big. The bricks are a funky color or the sidewalk is too narrow or the neighbor has put up ugly siding and eyesore of an addition. Fuck, are we being too picky?"

"Nathaniel. It's going to be our home for the foreseeable future. It needs to be right. And the vinyl siding on that rowhouse was just wrong -- formstone or brick, nothing more. Plus, there's a fine line between a neighborhood being cozy and your neighbors being stalkers, and the people watching us as we waited for Cindy on the stoop made my neck crawl -- it was like being back in Baghdad, knowing we were about to be over-run."

"Maybe we should just extend our lease here..."

"Sorry, no, I object, there was way too much bitching about the HOA last year, and the nastygrams they sent about the state of the lawn were the most passive aggressive bullshit I've ever read. It's fucking grass. As long as it's mowed and properly trimmed, who the fuck cares whether or not you have flowers or shrubbery? Fucking busybodies."

"Tell me what you really think, Tim."

"I think we should go to this open house in Remington -- where ever that is -- and then to Union Square."

So they do. The Remington house isn't bad: it has everything on their list except the off-street parking, and the neighborhood seems to be on the upswing. Plus, hello, Ace of Cakes and the Dizz. They have lunch at the Dizz, and talk about what they liked about the house and what they'd probably have to change. There's a tiny patch of front yard, which wouldn't be too bad to maintain; the back is a concrete pad that could be graded and turned into a patio or parking. The basement isn't finished but could be turned into a joint office. The kitchen and bathrooms are pretty basic but with new fixtures, and the bedrooms are good sized. It's a starter home in a safe neighborhood. They've decided to make an appointment to go back in a few days, and have almost talked themselves into a new home.

And then they are off to Union Square, to an older house on Hollins. There's stained glass in the front window, and the front steps are meticulously clean. Heading inside, Nate winds up walking into Tim's back and nearly bouncing off with a muttered, "What the hell?" Because Tim stops abruptly to admire the vestibule, the ornately carved newel post and stair rail.

Nate recognizes the look on Tim's face: it's how he looks at Nate after days on call. When he sees that look, he knows he's about to be had in the very best way, that Tim is going to be on a mission to get exactly what he wants. Except its not just lust and determination, there's an element of...dazzle, maybe? Like a kid at Christmas who gets a gift that he didn't even know he wanted but loves immediately.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. This place is way beyond our budget. It is not a starter home. It's got a presence. It will be demanding. Look at the ceilings. And the plaster walls. And who knows how old the plumbing and the wiring are -- this place is in good shape but it is not a new reno at all. No, no."

Tim ignores Nate's babble, pushing open the pocket doors and peering into the front room, which is full of antique furniture and is dominated by a fireplace with a gorgeous marble mantle. 

"I'm not a fan of antiques, but the ceiling and fireplace call for them in that room." 

And with that, Tim is moving toward the next room, a modern living room that blends into a dining area and kitchen. Circling back through the hall way, he pulls Nate along in his wake, ignoring Nate's protests about heating bills for rooms with such high ceilings and complaints about electric stoves rather than gas. When they reach the top of the stairs, Nate falls silent, struck dumb by the way the sunlight makes the stained wood floors gleam in the coolest office he has ever seen. Two walls are lined with what looks to be custom built shelves, leaving space for a gorgeous mahogany partners desk. The green lamp sitting on the desk is turned off at the moment, but Nate can imagine sitting at the desk in the evening, light on, surrounded by the ridiculous number of books he and Tim have managed to accumulate. (It's actually kind of obscene, the amount of dead trees they are responsible for.)

"This is it." Nate hears the words and for a moment doesn't realize they came from his mouth. But then Tim turns to him and grins, and shit, Nate knows this is their house. Still, he has to say it, he has to be reasonable. "You know we're going to be broke forever, between the mortgage and the heating bills and buying more books to fill those shelves and antiques to satisfy your newly discovered appreciation for old-fashioned furniture-" Nate has more to say, because he knows objectively that this shouldn't be their house, they should shouldn't let emotion overrule reason in this process. But Tim stops him by pushing him gently up against the door and then crowding close, putting his mouth on Nate's to shut him up in the best possible way.

When they have to stop kissing in order to breathe, they lean against the door for a minute. Then Tim pulls back and smiles. 

"Home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asimplechord said, If you are feeling inspired, you should tell me about Nate's job and why Tim doesn't want their new place to be too close - it's not like he's on call... is it?

Nate is a policy advisor and trouble shooter for the mayor...who is probably going to be the next governor or maybe Senator, barring some sort of disaster. So he's not on call per se, but he spends a lot of time either at the office or at work functions outside the office. And, to be honest, when Tim's three days straight at the hospital run over the weekend, Nate tends to go to the office then too. There's stuff to do at home and with family and friends, but sometimes the house is just too quiet without Tim. Which is weird, because it's not like he's as verbose as some people they know. And Nate's not a clingy guy, he just enjoys Tim's company is all. [Don't laugh or think Nate's the girl here; when Tim's off during daylight hours during the standard work week, he nearly always finds his way to Nate's office at lunchtime, with either a packed lunch or plans to drag him out to one of the cafes nearby.]

But that changes some once they've found The House. For both of them. Because it's theirs. They would level deadly stares at anyone (like Person or Nate's sister) who accused them of "nesting". Fuck that: they are Marines (well, not Tim exactly, but as good as) and Marines don't nest, they simply secure and optimize their surroundings. Which is what they are doing when they spend weeks debating the right color of paint for the den, and go to every furniture store in central Maryland to find their partners desk for the library/office upstairs. 

Once everything is "optimized"...well, it's not that they work less or become antisocial. They still go out and see people. But they like being at home. Not doing anything, just being at home. So Nate's less likely to be found in his office on Tim's work weekends; instead he can be found dozing on the huge leather couch in the den, or maybe being the policy wonk that he is, reading weighty tomes about economics, diplomacy and strategy in the library.

Also, Tim thinks the mayor has a little bit of a crush on Nate, which prompts him to be a little too quick to call Nate after hours. Nate laughs that off, since the mayor is married. But Tim has seen the way the man watches Nate's mouth. Closet case. Or at least able to appreciate perfection in either sex.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chatfic with asimplechord.

asimplechord: Did Nate in this 'verse go to HKS, or did he attend the Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies or SAIS, or did he just start working for the mayor's office? I am totally imagining that Tim restrains himself from giving Nate too much shit about his boss's crush only b/c he's the last person to talk about being oblivious to unrequited or unmentioned colleagues' feelings. The first time he had people over for an all-night review session during med school resulted in at least one of his classmates being surprised and let-down. (What? He's not ashamed of Nate - and, seriously, Tim was an angry youth, he has done plenty of stuff he *is* ashamed of, but serving with Nate and being with Nate are nowhere on that list - but he doesn't talk about Nate with the children he attends med school with.)

Me: He went to HKS. Doc went to Hopkins but left the military after Nate, so he was in his first year and Nate was finishing up when they met again at a Recon reunion (aka Hasser's wedding). And that was that.

Because Nate rocks a two button suit and Doc's a slut for a well-dressed man. Military uniforms never did anything for him but he teases Nate that his yuppie uniform is the hottest thing ever. Especially when he takes off the jacket, loosens the tie, and rolls up his sleeves. Add in the hipster reading glasses and Doc has to tell Nate's assistant to hold all calls.

Nate had sort of thought he'd end up in DC, but the Baltimore job just happened. And it's still close to Washington, so he's on the radar of Important People.

asimplechord:Nate rolls up his sleeves and glances at Tim over the edge of his glasses deliberately, doesn't he?

Me: The first couple times, Tim thought it was just Nate being Nate, hitting one of his kinks unconsciously. But then he got a chance to watch him in action at a health policy meeting, and he realized the only time Nate tilts his head and looks over the rims of his glasses like that is when he's looking at Tim.


	5. Sir, we're about to be overrun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat fic based on plot bunny: Halloween in the Bryan-Fick household. They did not acquire sufficient supplies. "Sir, we're about to be overrun." By children who demand their trick or treat.

asimplechord: Well, that was just poor planning. Whose billet was ops chief in charge of procurement for this mission?

Response: Nate was in charge of procurement. Because Tim has been working Q3 shifts at Shock Trauma and barely managed to work the schedule to be off on Halloween. Plus, they only started giving out Halloween candy when Nate's nieces and nephew got old enough to really enjoy Halloween; they are what prompted the decorating (which Tim did on his day off). Nate's only job was procuring sufficient candy to satisfy their family and the hordes of kids in the neighborhood. (Tim reminds Nate that living in Roland Park was his idea; there was an awesome condo available downtown, populated by DINKs and SINKs, within walking distance of the hospital and City Hall, but no, Nate wanted a lawn. Hah.) And Nate bought the same amount as last year, but somehow that is not enough, because it looks like there's another wave of zombies and princesses, but fortunately no zombie princesses, working their way up the block. If Nate can't find another bag of Snickers miniatures, there will be an ugly scene.

 

asimplechord: Nate ought to know by now that all the good candy is gone from the closest Shopper's or Giant, and only the weird toffees and no-sugar crap will be left. He better hope that there are no zombie princesses who want Snickers or Reese's still making their rounds.

(Nate wanted a lawn? Really? Did he forget what a pain in the ass cutting the grass was when he was a teenager?)

Response: Nate realized after the fact that he might not have laid in sufficient supplies for the occasion. And he swung by Whole Paycheck at lunch time, but they only had healthy carob crap and he knew better than to buy that stuff. Tim would *never* stop teasing him if he brought it into the house. Tim already makes fun of him for shopping at Whole Foods anyway. (He likes the butcher section. And the prepared food section. Tim likes Eddie's and Graul's best.)

They are going to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, and break into the stash of Skittles in the pantry, kept for Ray Person's impromptu visits. And the ginger bears and licorice all-sorts Colbert sent them from the UK, along with some really good scotch and shortbread. (The scotch and shortbread are long gone.)

And the lawn? Nate...was feeling nostalgic. And also thinking that yard work might be therapeutic. Instead he learned that the neighborhood association is a MONUMENTAL pain in the ass about lawn and yard appearance. But they are only renting right now. When Tim's residency is up in a couple of years, they'll see what happens. He's pretty well-liked at UMd, but he could probably get a job anywhere, so...

Part II after puckling asked what they did for candy:

They end up giving out the full-sized mint Musketeers Nate has hidden in the freezer for a sort of surprise treat. (Tim's absolute favorite is Thin Mints that have been frozen. He can eat an entire sleeve of them without even thinking about it or feeling guilty abt hogging them. Anything mint = win.) Plus the granola bars Nate usually takes with him on days when he thinks that lunch time will be worked through. (That happens a lot.) The mini-vampire who gets the first granola bar is not impressed, but those are the breaks for trick or treating, kid: the good stuff goes fast. They are wondering if they are going to become the pariahs of the neighborhood, known as those weird guys who give out bananas, apples and oranges for Halloween, when at last the flood of children tapers off and dies completely. Clearly next year Tim is going to have to do the candy shopping.

**Author's Note:**

> And this fic is profoundly dated, not least because Nacho Mama's is long since closed and there's a Whole Foods in Harbor East they'd probably shop at instead now rather than Mt. Washington.


End file.
